Chapter 2

He Xiaoxiao was on the phone with her son when Du Kun suddenly dashed over, rapping on her office desk. "Meeting at six, Room 302!" he announced breathlessly.

He Xiaoxiao hurriedly hung up, intending to ask the boss a few questions, but Du Kun had already dashed off like a gust of wind.

In the morning, when He Xiaoxiao greeted Du Kun, she noticed a new blister on the corner of his mouth, guessing it was from being scolded by Director Li the previous night, the result of overnight stress and anxiety.

He Xiaoxiao worked at Yamei Cosmetics, an established company that had been producing a brand called "Bright He Green" for over twenty years. Specializing in affordable skincare products sold in supermarkets and discount stores, the brand had earned a good reputation. However, with increasing market competition and diverse marketing strategies from competitors, "Bright He Green" had gradually become a marginalized brand.

Five years ago, the current chairman, Li Bin, had taken decisive action. He cut off a group of complacent management personnel, recruited talents, introduced new investors, and marketing strategies, barely maintaining market share. Guided by the principle of "advance or retreat," they actively expanded the market and developed several high-end cosmetics. They launched a new brand called "Huayu," hoping to break into the high-end cosmetics market. However, six months after its launch, sales were dismal. As the marketing director, Du Kun's pressure was immense.

Before heading to the meeting room, He Xiaoxiao called her only subordinate, Zhao Yino. Zhao Yino, who had planned to leave work, frowned upon hearing about the meeting. "Why schedule a meeting at this time? It seems deliberate," he muttered.

He Xiaoxiao whispered, "Don't ask me, ask your uncle!"

Being a company with a long history, the office was filled with relatives. For example, Zhao Yino was Du Kun's cousin. It was expected that he could be of great use, but unfortunately, he lacked ambition and diligence. He had never done anything useful besides causing trouble for his uncle.

However, they still had to consider their uncle's face. Despite Zhao Yino's grumbling, he followed He Xiaoxiao into the meeting room.

Marketing manager Chen Anni, publicity manager Zhuang Ying, and several subordinates were already seated in the meeting room, chatting away. Chen Anni was holding a bottle of mineral water, undecided whether to open it, while Zhuang Ying and the others were describing a Gucci bag they fancied in great detail, and everyone nodded in agreement as they listened.

Chen Anni also came from a family background, but she was undoubtedly the most distinguished. She was not only beautiful but had also studied abroad in England and could speak authentic London English. She was also Director Li's niece, deeply loved by Director Li. If anyone in the company accidentally offended Chen Anni, they would have to face Director Li's wrath.

Of course, this is just speculation. Director Li and Chen Anni have never had any conflicts. When the "Huayu" series was first launched, Director Li wanted Chen Anni to endorse the product, but she refused. She insisted on pursuing a professional managerial path rather than relying on her appearance. Director Li just smiled and didn't complain.

Zhao Yino naturally gravitated towards the most secluded corner. Wherever he went, he was always the background, and he was aware of that. When he turned to greet He Xiaoxiao, he noticed that she had already sat down next to Chen Anni, so he just pursed his lips and leaned back in his chair as if he were dozing off.

Chen Anni's mineral water bottle was still sealed when He Xiaoxiao snatched it away, saying, "Let me help you, Anni! The caps of this brand are always so tight; be careful not to ruin your manicure." Chen Anni, caught off guard by He Xiaoxiao's enthusiasm, hesitated for a moment before smiling back somewhat reluctantly, "Thank you!"

He Xiaoxiao handed her the opened water bottle, looking affectionate, "No problem at all!"

Chen Anni's subordinate, Cao Wei, couldn't stand He Xiaoxiao's flattering demeanor. She lacked Chen Anni's refinement and sneered, "It's obvious you don't have a man at home, that's why you've honed such skills. Unlike us, who can't even open a bottle cap!"

He Xiaoxiao's expression changed slightly, then she laughed modestly, "It's just a bit of strength, nothing compared to yours! Well, what can I do? There's a man at home, but he's too young. I have to handle all the heavy lifting by myself!"

Cao Wei asked, "How old is your son?"

He Xiaoxiao lamented, "He's only eleven! He just adds chaos to my life and can't help with anything!"

Another subordinate of Anni's, Gu Xiaowen, said, "Didn't Lian from the finance department introduce you to someone last month, Mr. Li? I heard Lian say he has a particularly good temper, is caring, and takes care of all the household chores. Who would have thought you wouldn't be interested? Otherwise, you could just lay back and enjoy life!"

"Hehe, I'm not that fortunate," He Xiaoxiao replied with a wry smile.

In her mind, Mr. Li's short and stout figure, along with his ordinary appearance, appeared. Balding, with a protruding belly, his lack of handsomeness aside, what she couldn't stand the most was the way he looked at people - rich in content yet always stuck with the word "creepy." He Xiaoxiao endured a meal solely out of consideration for Lian, the supervisor.

Cao Wei hit the nail on the head, saying, "What do you mean you're not lucky? Your standards are just too high! You turn down this and that! Truth be told, when looking for a man, you should be practical. The farther you go, the worse it gets. You should grab a good deal early on..."

Chen Anni listened to them chatting as she drank her water, the displeasure on her face gradually fading, replaced by a teasing expression. On the other side, Zhuang Ying remained silent, her expression cold. She was a steady person who avoided getting involved in gossip and kept her distance from everyone.

Zhao Yinuo, who was curled up in the corner, suddenly opened his eyes.

"I don't like hearing that from you, Cao Wei! One man's trash is another man's treasure, isn't it? Although Hejie is divorced and has a child, she's still young! And just look at how beautiful she is," he pointed at He Xiaoxiao, "she's stunning! Apart from Anni, who in the office can compare to Hejie? Standing next to that Li guy, you can bet ten out of ten people would mistake them for father and daughter, how awkward! And Lian, too, she doesn't consider practicalities at all; she just blindly sets people up. How many successful matches has she made?"

As soon as he spoke, the room fell silent. Everyone knew this guy had a sharp tongue; he wasn't afraid to say harsh or unpleasant things. He was a troublemaker; once he got involved, he wouldn't stop until he defeated you. So no one dared to mess with him lightly.

He Xiaoxiao looked at Cao Wei, Gu Xiaowen, and the others, who all wore sullen expressions, and felt elated. She glanced at Zhao Yinuo, who happened to be looking her way and even winked at her.

When Zhao Yinuo first joined the company, he was assigned to Chen Anni but was kicked out in less than a week. Anni had many complaints about him - he was always late, left early, and couldn't handle any of the tasks she assigned him.

Du Kun had no choice but to give this troublemaker to Zhuang Ying. He barely lasted a month there, and Zhuang Ying couldn't stand him either, so she sent him back. Du Kun was both annoyed and angry. He scolded Zhao Yinuo in private, but Zhao Yinuo fought back, accusing the two female supervisors of conspiring against him, just because they didn't want him on their team.

"They think I'm your spy! That I'm here to spy on them for you!" Zhao Yinuo countered confidently.

At that time, He Xiaoxiao had just been promoted by Du Kun to assistant supervisor, a new position that sounded prestigious but was essentially doing odd jobs for the department. She didn't even have a single subordinate under her.

He Xiaoxiao, on one hand, bolstered her own presence and, on the other hand, couldn't bear to see Du Kun stuck with Zhao Yinuo, a hot potato, sulking all day long. Without waiting for the boss to speak, she took the initiative to bring Zhao Yinuo over, defusing Du Kun's embarrassment.

At first, Zhao Yinuo also gave He Xiaoxiao a hard time, but she didn't bother with him. If he came in late or left early, she let it slide. If he didn't do his tasks, she did them herself. Over time, Zhao Yinuo started feeling embarrassed and began to behave properly. He even started getting along better with He Xiaoxiao, sharing some personal thoughts with her. He also confided in her about his relationship with Du Kun, who was actually his relative.

"Old Du was really poor when he was studying. It was my mom who funded him to finish college. He always said he wanted to repay my mom..."

He Xiaoxiao realized, "No wonder he never treated you badly no matter what you did."

Zhao Yinuo wasn't completely useless either. He dared to say what He Xiaoxiao couldn't say due to saving face. He dared to confront people who had to be appeased on the surface. He had relieved He Xiaoxiao of a lot of frustration. At times like these, she would think that being a mediator was quite worthwhile.

As the room fell silent, Du Kun stormed in, "Is everyone here? Let's begin!"

Following Mr. Li's latest instructions, the marketing strategy for "Huayu" had to be adjusted to deliver immediate results. For days, Du Kun, Chen Anni, Zhuang Ying, and others had been racking their brains over this. This task wasn't directly related to He Xiaoxiao, but she still kept her eyes wide open, trying hard to immerse herself in the tense atmosphere.

Anni led the planning for the adjusted strategy. She had already prepared a presentation and confidently started talking as soon as she got on stage. Cao Wei cooperated with her, projecting a PowerPoint slide for everyone to see.

From market analysis to future predictions, He Xiaoxiao found herself dazzled by all the bar graphs, pie charts, and line charts. While she felt a slight disdain, having seen Anni's data many times before without seeing much improvement in marketing results, she also couldn't help but admire Anni's skill with data. She knew she probably wouldn't be able to produce such a beautiful report even after studying for two or three years.

After Anni finished explaining the three promotion plans, Du Kun immediately asked, "Why wasn't SHE considered?"

SHE was one of the hottest makeup retailers in recent years. They had their own exclusive live streaming sessions and regularly released various makeup tutorials. The content appealed to young people, with diverse styles that refreshed people each time. Most importantly, the makeup techniques were simple and easy to learn. Within just two years, they had won numerous fans.

At the end of each makeup tutorial, the products used that day were featured, a disguised form of promotion. The spread on the internet was incomparable to traditional methods. SHE quickly gained popularity, especially among young professionals. Brands promoted by them sold well both online and offline. If a new brand wanted to become popular quickly, collaborating with SHE was the fastest and most effective way.

However, SHE's founder, Qiu Wenming, was very level-headed. He knew that building a brand was not easy, but destroying it could happen in minutes. Therefore, he had a quite strict review process for potential collaborators, and money alone couldn't guarantee cooperation.

"I've had detailed discussions with SHE, and their review process is too strict and cumbersome. Plus, the collaboration fee is unreasonably high. I don't think it's suitable," Anni concluded confidently. "Instead of giving money to others, we should develop our own marketing channels."

Du Kun didn't comment and turned to Zhuang Ying instead. "What do you think?"

Zhuang Ying said, "I agree with Anni's idea. We can try to emulate SHE's model. It may take longer to develop, but once the foundation is solid, it will be much easier later on. At least, we won't be at the mercy of others."

Du Kun's face darkened slightly. "But Mr. Li has demanded results within six months. If we do it ourselves, can you guarantee results?"

Anni spoke up confidently, "It's a matter of foresight. I still believe that handing over control to others isn't wise. Mr. Li isn't unreasonable. The key is how to persuade him..."

Although He Xiaoxiao couldn't judge which approach was most beneficial for the company's development, she could sense Du Kun's irritation from his expression. It was evident that Anni's remarks were blaming Du Kun for being too hasty and only focused on personal achievements. In fact, He Xiaoxiao knew that Du Kun also supported the idea of long-term development. However, he was already quite dissatisfied with himself for not delivering results despite Mr. Li's pressure.

"How do you see it, Xiao He?" Du Kun suddenly turned his sharp gaze towards He Xiaoxiao, catching her off guard as she was just spectating.

"Me?"

"Yes, give us your opinion!" Du Kun slammed the documents on the table. "Which approach do you think we should take?"

Although Du Kun had promoted He Xiaoxiao, she couldn't help but curse him inwardly at this moment. Caught between Mr. Li and Chen Anni, he didn't dare to offend either, so he squeezed himself out to be pinched like a ripe tomato.

"I think both... both have their merits," she chuckled awkwardly, trying to evade.

But Du Kun didn't let her off the hook. "You can only choose one. Which one do you pick?"

Zhao Yinuo chuckled in the corner, earning a glare from Du Kun.

He Xiaoxiao quickly calculated, gritting her teeth, "Then... let's try SHE!"

Du Kun's eyes lit up. "Are you sure?"

He Xiaoxiao nodded. "Whether there's a chance or not, we have to give it a shot."

Her answer offended some people. Anni's expression noticeably changed, but He Xiaoxiao couldn't help it. Her logic for dealing with people had always been simple: try not to offend anyone, but if she had to offend someone, it definitely couldn't be her direct superior.

Du Kun picked up the documents on the table again, pondering. No one knew what he was thinking. When he looked up, he simply said, "Let's end the meeting here today. Dismissed!"

Anni, Zhuang Ying, and others were somewhat puzzled, while He Xiaoxiao anxiously assessed Anni's expression, pondering how to mend their relationship next.

She followed everyone out uneasily, but heard Du Kun call out from behind, "Xiao He, come to my office for a moment!"